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"That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have the strongest comfort, who have fled for refuge to hold fast the hope set before us. Which we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, and which entereth in even within the veil; Where the forerunner Jesus is entered for us, made a high priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech." Hebrews 6:18-20 (DRB)
Summer is not just the season for vacation and parental frustrations, it is also the time of year that men are ordained either to the diaconate or the priesthood. Yesterday, I went to the ordination of Father Jason Adams. Appropriately, the responsorial psalm was "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 7:17, 21, Psalm 110:4)
Melchizedek, King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God, appears only briefly in Genesis 14:18-20 offering a sacrifice of bread and wine, but he is mentioned again in Psalm 110 and Hebrews and is a key figure in the theology of the priesthood. Jesus is our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek and of course our priests and bishops share in His Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek. Each of our priests and bishops is a successor to the Apostles who were ordained by Christ Himself. Sts Peter and Paul ordained clergy such as the first deacon, St Stephen, and priests who were called "presbyteroi" often translated as "elders" to assist in their ministry.
Congratulations to Father Jason Adams on joining the priesthood!
May God bless all who read my ramblings,
Adopt A Catholic Blog
3 comments:
That is an excellent reading for an ordination! I think sometimes that some of the most interesting characters in the Bible are those that we know the least about. :)
Hooray! I love hearing stories of Ordinations!
In our area, we ordained three priests on Pentecost weekend ..... very appropriate as well!
Thanks for coming by and sharing!
Ya can't know too much about Melchizedek.
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